Dustin Johnson has taken no time in putting his only missed cut of the year behind him, posting a seven-under-par 65 on Saturday to claim a share of the 54-hole lead in the RBC Canadian Open.
Johnson, who missed the cut in the British Open last week, is at 17-under-par 199, tied with 36-hole leader Kevin Tway and two South Koreans, Whee Kim and Byeong Hun An. Tway shot a 68, An a 66 and Kim a 67.
Australia’s Aaron Baddeley blew his chance of victory, shooting a three-over 75 to drop 10 strokes off the pace in T-43. Rod Pampling (75) and Cameron Percy (77) also struggled on a tough day.
Johnson birdied five of his first six holes at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and played a three-hole stretch on the back nine in four-under par. He has posted rounds of 68, 66 and 65 in the wake of his missed cut at Carnoustie.
“I felt like I was playing well going into the Open Championship and felt like I played well at the Open, I just scored really bad,” he said. “I felt like my mental game wasn’t there. So I came here and practised a little bit and got my focus back right and have played a little better this week.”
As good as it was on Saturday, it could have been better, too. One of the longest players in golf, Johnson played the three par 5s on the back nine in only one under. He bogeyed the 13th and parred the 18th, while mixing in an eagle on the 16th.
“I was playing well,” he said. “I didn’t drive it quite as well as I’d like to today. It was a little bit windy today, so it made it a little bit tougher to hit fairways. But I felt that when I was in the fairway I hit good shots and made a lot of birdies.”
Johnson, No.1 in the World Ranking, is pursuing the 19th victory of his US PGA Tour career and third of the year.
An, who tied for second in the Memorial Tournament last month, birdied all three of the par 5s on the back nine.
“I had a lot of up-and-downs today, like between holes seven to 12,” he said. “It’s been one of those nice up-and-down days, and then I grinded pretty well and I stayed patient. That’s why I was able to finish with three birdies on the par 5s.”
Tway, meanwhile, has a chance to win the same tournament his father, Bob Tway, won 15 years ago. Tway is seeking his first PGA Tour victory in this his 86th career start.
